Slurp Up Soup Dumplings and Indulge in Peking Duck at New Rice Village Restaurant

Jenn Duncan
Slurp Up Soup Dumplings and Indulge in Peking Duck at New Rice Village Restaurant

Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai

HUSBAND-WIFE RESTAURATEUR duo Leo and Grace Xia recently opened a stylish third location of their Peking-lacquered-duck and dim sum concept, Duck N Bao. The opening comes just over a year after launching Hongdae 33, the all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue hot spot in Houston’s Asiatown.

The newly renovated West University restaurant joins Duck N Bao’s Cypress and Memorial locations, offering Sichuan specialties, including nostalgic favorites from their childhoods in China. The Rice Village location has been a long-time goal for the Xias. They’ve curated a spacious and light-filled dining room with a shaded patio and updated the menu with new food offerings, luxe upgrades, and inventive cocktails.

“We look forward to meeting our new neighbors and introducing our menus to them,” says Grace. “We have a bit of everything — dumplings from middle China, Sichuan dishes, our delicious roast duck that’s beloved in Beijing —so you can travel around China through the menu without leaving Houston.” Grace encourages cocktail lovers to try the new drinks, admitting she sometimes “saves her calories for the cocktails because they are so yummy.” However, teetotalers have plenty of fine hot teas to sip here.

At the entrance, witness noodles and dumplings being prepared behind a window, a testimony to their freshness. We dove into the new menu and shumai (steamed pork and shrimp dumplings) were a superb beginning – make sure to ask for chili oil! Lightly fried Kung Pao Brussels sprouts bathed in a sweet and spicy sauce and garnished with a shower of chopped peanuts also impressed.

Moving on, we were tempted by lo mein with options for add-ins, but our server steered us toward stir-fried flat noodles with beef, which was a rib-sticking option. Speaking of! New to the menu are the tea leaf smoked pork ribs — definitely worth sinking your teeth into, and ample enough to share. Ditto the steamed whole fresh seabass with ginger sauce, fresh ginger and scallions. Portioned out and easy to serve, it’s a beautiful sight to see.

Next time: lobster two ways!

Leo and Grace Xia

Magic Potion cocktail

Angus ribeye

Mapo tofu with lobster tail

Food
Fall Philanthropy Report: Urban Harvest Farmers Market Helps ‘Transform Food Accessibility’

What year was your organization launched? Urban Harvest’s Saturday Farmers Market started in 2004 with just seven vendors, providing an outlet for local farms, community and backyard gardeners to sell fresh produce harvested directly from their soils. Now in its 20th year, the market has grown to be one of the largest markets in Texas, supporting over 100 local farmers, ranchers, and food artisans all from within 180 miles of Houston. The market draws 3,000 customers every Saturday morning and includes many original vendors like Animal Farm, Atkinson Farms, and Wood Duck Farm.

Keep Reading Show less

Flora Choy, Vanitha Pothuri and Blanca Beltran-Robinson

IT WAS A memorable evening for art lovers, to be sure. Connie Kwan-Wong and her independently published CKW Luxe magazine hosted an elegant event amid priceless works of art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Brigitte Kalai, Alicia Smith and Deborah Duncan

A WHOPPING 2,100 people showed up to toast the 25th annivesrary of the Trailblazers Awards Luncheon and Fashion Show, one of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo's most successful events.

Keep Reading Show less
Style